October 1, 2002 (Vol 2, Issue, 9)

In This Issue:

UPCOMING EVENTS

1. Second Annual State Information Technology Accessibility Initiatives: A National and State Perspective
2. Web Design that Works for Everyone
3. Achieving and Maintaining an Accessible Web
4. IDEAS 2002--Innovations in Implementation: Managing Accessibility Across the Federal Government
5. Accessibility Forum Web Cast
6. Collaboration Expedition Workshop at NSF

ARTICLES

1. New California Legislation that Increases Opportunities for Californians with Disabilities
2. State and Federal E-Government in the U.S., 2002
3. ITAA Says Special FAR Section 508 Clause Not Needed
4. Hands Free Telephony
5. ''Helen Keller Achievement Award in Technology'' Credits GNOME Accessibility

FOR YOUR ACTION

1. Information Technology and Disabilities: Call for Articles
2. New Draft of Web Content Guidelines for Comment

RESOURCES

1. Adobe Offers On Line Seminar on Creating Accessible Forms
2. Making On-Line Learning Accessible

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

1. SECOND ANNUAL STATE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACCESSIBILITY INITIATIVES: A NATIONAL AND STATE PERSPECTIVE
Date: October 22, 2002
Time: 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM ET
Register now at: http://www.ittatc.org

The ITTATC State IT Initiatives Workgroup is presenting a two-hour Web Cast on "State Information Technology Accessibility Initiatives: A National and State Perspective." The purpose of the Web Cast is to provide information from selected state stakeholders on current experiences with information technology (IT) accessibility challenges related to Web Sites, Application Development, Procurement, and Places of Public Access. The targeted audience includes state-level:

• Policymakers
• Assistive Technology Projects (AT Projects)
• Offices of the Chief Information Officer (CIOs)
• Procurement Officials (POs)
• Persons with Disabilities

• State specific examples of IT accessibility policy development and compliance and verification strategies.
• State experiences with building collaborative relationships between AT Projects and CIOs.
• Effective strategies to overcome barriers to IT accessibility.
• Challenges of procurement of accessible IT products and services.
• State approaches to training state level CIO and Procurement staff on IT accessibility.

2. WEB DESIGN THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE
Date: October 18-19, 2002
Providence, RI
Rhode Island School of Design

Web Design that Works for Everyone will bring together the two worlds of digital design and accessible technology. The conference will deliver useful information about practice, policy, and tools and serve as a catalyst for innovative collaborations. It begins with the premise that user diversity is the reality of an ever-expanding audience. By embracing the practical and valued role of information facilitator the designer can open new worlds for people previously excluded from the opportunities inherent in the world wide web: people with physical, sensory, and cognitive disabilities, older people, people with limited literacy, and people across the globe using all types of devices.

New accessibility tools and standards make it easy to design information that's accessible and attractive. But there has been little cross-fertilization between digital design and accessibility. If the promise of accessible digital media is to be realized, it needs great designers/architects/strategists/planners of information, who can create appeal, flow and clarity that enhance everyone's experience.

Join us in generating the creative imagination to shape a truly inclusive vision for digital design.

Conference presenters includes Rhode Island School of Design and Massachusetts College of Art faculties as well as well known web design and accessibility experts including, but limited to, Judy Brewer with W3C, Bob Regan from Macromedia, Shawn Lawton Henry of UIAccess.com (participation sponsored by ITTATC), Larry Goldberg from WGBH, Michael Cooper from CAST, and many others.

For more information and to register, http://www.adaptiveenvironments.org/webconference/overview.php.

3. ACHIEVING AND MAINTAINING AN ACCESSIBLE WEB
http://www.hisoftware.com/access/msaccessdays.html

Dates:

• September Dates: 4, 18, 25
• October Dates: 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
• November Dates: 6, 13, 20

• Section 508 Coordinators
• CIO's
• IRM's
• Government Procurement Officers
• Agency Technical Staff
• Webmasters
• Content Managers
• Others involved in Accessibility compliance.

4. IDEAS 2002--INNOVATIONS IN IMPLEMENTATION: MANAGING ACCESSIBILITY ACROSS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
http://www.cessi.net/ideas/

Bethesda, MD
November 5, 2002

The annual Interagency Disability Educational Awareness Showcase (IDEAS) Conference date has been set for Tuesday, November 5, 2002. IDEAS is the only Federal-sponsored conference that is fully dedicated to disability awareness issues. At IDEAS 2002 you can expand your knowledge and find answers to your questions about disability legislation, assistive technology, and many workforce issues.

This year's theme, Innovation in Implementation, focuses on what is being done throughout the Federal government to create an operating and management environment that meets legislated requirements and enables people with disabilities access to information, programs, services and employment. Specifically, it will focus on Section 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and on issues affecting the workforce.

For more information contact 703-448-6155 x208 or e-mail: ideas@cessi.net.

5. ACCESSIBILITY FORUM WEB CAST
http://www.accessibilityforum.org/meetings/oct2002/announcement.html

October 29, 2002
9:30 AM - 3:30 PM EST

The 2nd Web Cast meeting will allow the Forum to report on the outcome and development of the September 23-25, 2002 Project Workshops, Strategic Management Council activities and general Accessibility Forum collaboration.

The Web Cast meeting will originate from the National Science Foundation in Arlington, VA. Information about tuning in to the Web Cast will be made available soon.

For more information contact 843-760-3310 or e-mail: forumstaff@aticorp.org.

6. COLLABORATION EXPEDITION WORKSHOP AT NSF
National Science Foundation
Stafford I Building
4201 Wilson Boulevard
NSF Board Room, 12th Floor
Arlington, Virginia

October 15, 2002
9:30 AM - 3:00 PM

The next Collaboration Expedition Workshop will take place on Tuesday, October 15, 2002 from 9:30 AM - 3 PM at NSF. The Workshop is free, but an RSVP is required.

The Workshop will explore the potential and realities of Networked Improvement Communities to advance the capabilities of the Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA) towards transformative e-government. Doug Engelbart, pioneer of integrated information systems and inventor of the mouse, display editing, windows, idea processing, hypermedia, and groupware will be joining the Workshop.

Workshop Purpose: To explore the Potential and Realities of Networked Improvement Communities (NICs) to advance the capabilities of the CIOC's Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA) towards transformative e-government. What concepts and techniques can we apply from a world-renowned Internet frontiersman and visionary, Doug Engelbart, to lift us above the roaring rapids of potential danger spots? How do we reconcile speeding technology cycles with slower, reflection cycles needed for collective understanding of complex, whole systems? As stakeholder-centered, FEA-Improvement Communities form, how do we frame shared purposes and governance to balance the tensions of creativity and discipline, innovation and continuity?

Previous workshop notes and resources are at: http://ioa-qpnet-co.gsa.gov/Ua-Exp.
The new Architecture and Infrastructure Committee (AIC) guide, Extending Digital Dividends: Public Goods and Services that Work for All will be distributed at the meeting.

For more information and to RSVP: susan.turnbull@gsa.gov (or 202-501-6214) to ensure entry into the building and a box lunch, if desired. Please indicate in your RSVP whether you would like a lunch ordered for you. The lunch cost is $8.00 (sandwich, beverage, chips, cookie) and is payable at the workshop. Or, bring a bag lunch, if you prefer.

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ARTICLES

1. NEW CALIFORNIA LEGISLATION THAT INCREASES OPPORTUNITIES FOR CALIFORNIANS WITH DISABILITIES

The following information came from a press release dated 9/29/02 from the Governor's Office

"Governor Davis Signs Legislation That Increases Opportunities for Californians with Disabilities; Streamlines Services"

Governor Gray Davis has signed legislation that will markedly improve the lives of Californians with disabilities by creating more job opportunities and streamlining services.

SB 105, by Senate President pro Tempore John Burton (D-San Francisco), establishes the Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired and Deaf and Hard of Hearing (Division) within the Department of Rehabilitation (DOR). This bill also ensures that information technology, such as, Web sites, computers, cell phones and other electronic devices created or used by the state government is accessible to people with disabilities. The creation of a separate division, under the direction of a deputy director who is selected because of his/her extensive background in delivering services to the blind and visually impaired, would focus and streamline the DOR's delivery of services to this community.

2. STATE AND FEDERAL E-GOVERNMENT IN THE US, 2002
September 2002
Report by: Darrell M. West, Center for Public Policy, Brown University, Providence, RI

This report presents the third annual update on the features that are available online at American state and federal government websites. The authors examine the differences that exist across the 50 states and between the state and federal governments as well as compare the Summer, 2002 results to 2000 and 2001. Using a detailed analysis of 1,265 state and federal government websites, they measure what kinds of features are available online, what variations exist across the country as well as between state and national government sites, and how e-government sites respond to citizen requests for information.

In general, the report finds several interesting changes from past years. In the post-September 11 world, governments are taking security and privacy much more seriously than they did in 2000 and 2001. According to the report, the more important findings of the research relative to disability include:

• Twenty-eight percent of government websites have some form of disability access, up slightly from 27 percent last year

3. ITAA SAYS SPECIAL FAR SECTION 508 CLAUSE NOT NEEDED

ITAA Press Release
August 26, 2002

In comments made on August 26th to the Civilian Agency Acquisition Council and the Defense Acquisition Regulations Council, the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) endorsed the current Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) approach for implementing Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act in Federal Government agency procurements of electronic and information technology products and solutions. ITAA advised that revising the FAR to include a special Section 508 clause would not further the interests of Section 508.

"ITAA endorses the current FAR approach because it appropriately treats accessibility requirements like any other requirement," said ITAA President Harris N. Miller. "Perhaps the most significant benefit provided by the current FAR approach is that it requires agencies to carefully consider and determine their true accessibility needs, a step that may be overlooked if that agency merely inserts a standard clause."

To view the full press release access: http://www.itaa.org/news/pr/PressRelease.cfm?ReleaseID=1030396159.

4. HANDS FREE TELEPHONY

Excerpts from an article, Digital Link for Car Talk
New York Times
September 6, 2002
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/06/automobiles/06BELL.html?todaysheadline

The article references automobile manufacturers incorporating "Bluetooth" into their 2003 car designs and the implications for "hands free telephony." Bluetooth is a digital system that lets electronic devices communicate with each other without a cord running between them. Daimler/Chrysler, for instance, will begin offering "Uconnect," a Bluetooth based communication system. UConnect will use the "Bluetooth" system to let an ordinary hand-held cell phone--which is laid down on the seat--work with systems in the car. The driver dials the phone with voice commands and carries on a conversation by talking into a receiver installed in the car. The answering voice comes through the car's built-in speaker system. Other automakers, including BMW and Saab, will offer Bluetooth in the next year, and new uses for it are on the drawing board.

This form of R&D research and funding going into hands-free telephony and hands-free computing, driven largely by the automotive market, could have positive implications for the future of accessible technology and universal design.

5. ''HELEN KELLER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD IN TECHNOLOGY'' CREDITS GNOME ACCESSIBILITY

The "Achievement Award in Technology" is one of the annual "Helen Keller Awards" presented by the American Foundation for the Blind. While the award is officially being awarded to Sun Microsystems for its "leadership in universal design," the presenters singled out the work of GNOME Accessibility architecture. The "Helen Keller" awards recognize the "notable accomplishments of individuals who are role models or improve the quality of life for people who are blind or visually impaired." According to a pre-press release, the GNOME Accessibility architecture demonstrates a commitment to accessible technology which "raises the bar for the computing industry" and "dramatically expands the options available" for technology consumers who are blind or visually impaired.

To view the full article access: http://www.gnomedesktop.org/article.php?sid=648&mode=thread&order=0.

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FOR YOUR ACTION

1. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND DISABILITIES: CALL FOR ARTICLES

Special Issue of Information Technology and Disabilities (ITD): Public Policy Issues: Access to Information and Information Technology

ITD invites articles for a special issue to examine public policy issues relating to access to information and information technology for persons with disabilities. Articles submitted for this special issue should focus on current and emerging concepts of individual rights to accessible information and information technology within public policy, either at the federal or state levels. Some possible issues for consideration may include:

• The genesis and current implementation of federal Section 508 access standards
• A status report on state efforts to promote accessible IT laws
• An analysis of state accessible textbook laws
• The application of the ADA to accessible information issues
• An analysis of the proposed national Instructional Materials Accessibility Act
• An analysis of recent ADA based accessible IT court challenges
• An analysis of DOE OCR rulings on accessible educational IT
• Digital Rights Management copyright concerns vs. access technologies

2. NEW DRAFT OF WEB CONTENT GUIDELINES FOR COMMENT

The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) at the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) invites comments on an updated version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0). WCAG 2.0 addresses accessibility of Web sites for people with disabilities. It applies to a wider range of Web technologies than WCAG 1.0, and is intended to be understandable to a more varied audience.

Comments received October 18, 2002 are particularly helpful to the Working Group.

Information on how to comment, and questions on which the Working Group is seeking feedback, are available: http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/w3c-wai-ig/2002JulSep/0885.html.

The Working Draft is available: http://www.w3.org/TR/2002/WD-WCAG20-20020822/.

Please note that WCAG 2.0 is still a Working Draft. WCAG 1.0 remains stable and can be referenced at this time.

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RESOURCES

1. ADOBE OFFERS ON LINE SEMINAR ON CREATING ACCESSIBLE FORMS

Adobe now offers a live, interactive, online seminar on converting paper-based form processes to dynamic, interactive online forms, including instructions on making the online forms accessible to people with disabilities. The seminar is free.

To register, you can call 1-877-303-9422 or access: http://www.adobe.com/formssolutions.

2. MAKING ON-LINE LEARNING ACCESSIBLE

IMS Global Learning Consortium and WGBH Boston Publish Guidelines for Creating Accessible Online Learning Technologies

Online Version Available Free of Charge at: http://ncam.wgbh.org/salt.

A groundbreaking collaboration among international players in the online learning field has resulted in a set of guidelines to educate the eLearning community about the challenges that people with disabilities face in accessing online education, and to provide solutions and resources to solve them. Major support of these efforts is provided by the Learning Anywhere Anytime Partnerships program* of the U.S. Department of Education.

"IMS Guidelines for Creating Accessible Learning Technologies" is a joint publication of the IMS Global Learning Consortium, and the CPB/WGBH National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM), the research and development division of the Media Access Group at WGBH Boston, a U.S. public broadcaster with a thirty-year history of developing access solutions for mass media.

The IMS Guidelines are available on the Web in a screen-reader friendly format as well as in PDF and are expected to be an invaluable resource for a broad range of stakeholders in online education, including educators providing online learning materials, developers of learning software such as learning management systems and educational software, and educational publishers, content authors, authoring tool developers and parents, advocates and students with disabilities themselves.

* The Guidelines were developed as part of the Specifications for Accessible Learning Technologies Partnership at the CPB/WGBH National Center for Accessible Media. Funding is provided by the Learning Anytime Anywhere Partnerships (LAAP), a program administered by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), part of the Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education.

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